Future Pet Shop

"Hah’Er, you worked so hard today, so you need to eat up!" Sun Qian said, picking up some stir-fried winter bamboo shoots with cured meat with her chopsticks for Hah’Er. Director Kong had just told them where these winter bamboo shoots came from.

"Mhm, and you too, Maphario. Come try these scrambled eggs with fragrant scallions and shredded winter bamboo shoots. If it weren’t for you and Hah’Er being so clever, we’d never get to eat something so delicious," Li Shiqing also placed some of the shredded winter bamboo shoots into Maphario’s little bowl. "What else would you like? I’ll get it for you!"

"Here, here, let me top off Director Kong’s glass. It must have been hard work hauling all these winter bamboo shoots to the shop, right? And you too, Mr. Wen. You were sweating buckets just from moving them into the kitchen!" Xia Shixuan lifted the wine jug, topped off both of their glasses, then poured the last remaining half-cup of Monkey Wine into her own.

"What about mine?" Shen Yibin was instantly bummed. ’The winter bamboo shoots may have been found by Hah’Er and Maphario, but I was the one who did all the hard work digging them out of the ground! And I cooked these dishes, right? Without my superb skills, who else could have made these winter bamboo shoots so delicious? How come I only hear you all thanking Hah’Er, Maphario, and Director Kong? Even Wen Yuan, who just tagged along for the ride, gets some credit. Is no one going to thank me?’

"There’s none left," Xia Shixuan said, turning the wine jug upside down. Not a single drop came out. With Director Kong freeloading drinks every day, the Monkey Wine they had saved up was nearly gone. The jug they had just put on the table was the last of it.

’You must be getting revenge on me for not selling you the Scarf! My glass has been empty for ages and you haven’t refilled it.’ Shen Yibin felt a pang in his chest. He could only vent his frustration on the food. His chopsticks descended like a flurry of rain, and in no time, he had eaten until he was stuffed.

"Oh man, this is the most satisfying meal I’ve had on my entire trip to Yunzhong City," Director Kong said, patting his belly contentedly. "I don’t know why, but I’ve had fresh winter bamboo shoots a few times before, and they never tasted this good."

"Then it must be an issue with the chefs. You said it yourself, Mr. Shen’s cooking is in a class of its own. The chefs you had before must not have been skilled enough to bring out the ingredients’ best qualities," Wen Yuan chimed in, letting out a completely undignified burp.

"Perhaps that’s part of it, but the difference shouldn’t be this huge," Director Kong continued to puzzle over it. The other chefs he’d encountered were also master-class. Compared to Shen Yibin, each had their own unique strengths; the gap in quality shouldn’t have been this wide.

’He’s forgetting who takes care of our bamboo grove.’ Shen Yibin smiled but remained silent. Back when the manor was first being built, Maphario had been busy in the bamboo grove and garden, leading Hah’Er to spread his specially formulated fertilizer throughout the grove. That was the secret to today’s fresh, tender, and delicious winter bamboo shoots. Even if those master chefs were more skilled than him, where would they find ingredients of this quality? Once cooking reaches a certain level, the ingredients themselves become increasingly important. The winter bamboo shoots they used were completely incomparable to the ones Shen Yibin had dug up today. It was only natural that Director Kong could taste the difference.

"If you like the food, you should stay a few more days. I reckon we can still dig for winter bamboo shoots in the grove for a few more days. Tomorrow, after we dig up the shoots, I’ll have Hah’Er and Xiaoliu go catch some fresh fish from the river. Winter bamboo shoots paired with fresh fish is another delicacy," Shen Yibin urged with a chuckle.

"I’d love to stay, but I’ve been off for so long that work has piled up into a mountain. I have to leave by the day after tomorrow at the latest. The next time I can visit will probably be after the Spring Festival!" Director Kong shook his head in regret. In his world, you were never truly your own master. It had been hard enough to carve out this much time for a break.

"If you come in the spring, we can have all sorts of wild vegetables and mushrooms. Hah’Er, Xiaoliu, and I took a look in the forest, and there’s no shortage of good things to find. Next time you visit, I’ll prepare a whole feast of mountain delicacies for you." This experience with the winter bamboo shoots was a wake-up call for Shen Yibin; nature held countless other precious and delicious ingredients just waiting to be discovered.

"Great! By the time I come back, my house should be all set up. You can all be my guests!" Director Kong said, rubbing his hands together. "I’ll bring Chef Ah Qing along, so you two can exchange more pointers." He couldn’t very well ask Shen Yibin to cook for his own housewarming, so Director Kong planned to bring a few chefs over from Xiangjiang.

And so, the matter was settled. For the next two days, Director Kong was up at the crack of dawn for his exercises. Afterward, he would join Shen Yibin, trailing close behind Hah’Er and Maphario, to search the bamboo grove for signs of winter bamboo shoots. The moment they spotted one, they would rush forward, two shovels rising and falling in unison to unearth the treasures buried in the soil.

By the time he left, the winter bamboo shoots in that patch of bamboo grove had been pretty much depleted. There were still a few left, but to ensure the grove could continue to thrive, Maphario and Hah’Er forbade them from digging up any more.

"Safe travels! We’ll see you after the New Year!" With the winter bamboo shoot supply exhausted, Director Kong and his party embarked on their journey home. A mountain of work awaited them, and the carefree days they had just enjoyed wouldn’t return until after the holiday.

Once they passed through the security checkpoint, Shen Yibin didn’t head straight back to the shop or the manor. Instead, he took Hah’Er and Xiaoliu on another trip to the Yunzhong City Zoo, where they happily spent the better part of the day. He, on the other hand, stayed in the office with Dong, planning out their upcoming work. It wasn’t until evening that he returned to the manor.

’Looks like the little guy has his energy back.’ Sitting on the terrace, sipping tea, Shen Yibin watched Hah’Er frolicking with Xiaoliu in the bamboo grove. He felt it might be time to start thinking about finding his next pet.

’Then let’s get started!’ Shen Yibin took out his phone, opened his contacts, and sent a message to the Future Pet Shop. He received a reply a moment later. Half an hour after that, a new pill was delivered outside the manor, and Shen Yibin immediately went out to retrieve it.

’Let’s see where it is this time!’ Shen Yibin opened the pet radar and began searching for the orange blip that represented a Mutant Animal.

’Huh? It’s all the way over there! The journey is a bit far, but it’s not too inconvenient. I’ll have to think about the best way to get there!’ As he was pondering, the sound of a piano suddenly drifted to his ears. He stood up, walked to the railing, and looked over. The lights were on in Sun Qian’s practice room. ’She’s still practicing so diligently!’

’It can’t be good for her to work so hard all the time. A musician should travel and see different scenery. That’s how you get inspiration, isn’t it?’ Shen Yibin stroked his chin and began to wonder. ’Maybe I should bring Sun Qian and Cheeky along on this trip?’